


someone out there really cares about you

by Feenie



Category: Atop the Fourth Wall, Dr Crafty
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Sleepwalker spoilers, Spoilers, eldritch beings make for good friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-07-07 12:23:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15908202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feenie/pseuds/Feenie
Summary: Linkara's feeling blue.Spoilers for Sleepwalker





	someone out there really cares about you

**Author's Note:**

> I'm doing it. I'm the first person to post actual Dr. Crafty fanfiction. I'M DOING IT

Crafty leaned back in his chair, eyes wide. “So _that’s_ why Mr. Finevoice was handling all of the title card commissions?”

“And Boffo,” Linkara corrected.

Linkara’s home was quiet, save for the two chatting over video chat. Vyce was gone, Comicron-1 was safe again, and...well, Linkara would be lying if he said the current mood wasn’t uncomfortable. Harvey took off for a gig for a while, Ninja-Style Dancer said something about being a backup dancer for Ninja Sex Party (which Linkara wasn’t about to question if it was an actual band or not) before leaving, Linksano wanted to work on his inventions now that Comicron-1 was with them again, and 90’s Dude…

Linkara grimaced, looking away. “Crafty, if I’ve said _anything_ to you or your friends--”

Crafty dismissively waved his hand. “Water under the bridge. You and your pals are safe, the world hasn’t ended for the...what, fifth? Sixth time? I think I can let Missingno complaining about my coloring slide,” he responded.

“Still, it’s better than me pretending it didn’t happen.” Linkara sighed. “It’s been...rough. And that’s not including the Contest of Champions thing.”

“Contest of Champions? Can’t you turn down the invitation?” Crafty asked. “I mean, if there’s enough for a _contest,_ I think they’ll be just fine without you.”

“I mean, I just might,” Linkara admitted, looking away. “...not really feeling like a champion these days.”

Crafty winced, sitting up. “No, that’s--I meant you need a break. Linkara, don’t burn yourself out like this.”

“It’s not burnout, it’s...it’s something else, I think,” Linkara said, still not looking at Crafty. “I mean, I still want to review comics! But the whole champion thing…”

He fell quiet. Margaret had stayed quiet ever since Erin freed them from the Entity, and he couldn’t imagine what she was going through herself if she didn’t even speak a word after...all _that._

“Look, I’ve--I’ve gotta go, I need to get some sleep,” Linkara said. “Tell Nurse and the others I said hi.”

“Will do,” Crafty responded, waving before signing off.

Linkara leaned back in his chair, staring at the invitation on his desk. Infinity Gauntlet or no for the prize, he didn’t want to participate. It wouldn’t be him facing against eldritch beings or him turned against his friends, it would just be a non-lethal fight every now and then, but…

“Hello, champion.”

The voice was soft, but it was enough to make Linkara jump and turn around nonetheless. A woman with pale blue skin, pointed ears, long dark hair, and ocean-dark eyes sat behind him, a pleasant smile on her face. Linkara reached for the Magic Gun, glaring.

“Nimue, how did this woman get in here?” he questioned.

“Information: she appeared only a few seconds ago, and was able to bypass all shields around the area, and presumably any and all wards,” Nimue reported. “Conclusion: be cautious.”

“My apologies,” the woman said, wincing. “I should have been a bit more courteous, all things considered.”

“Who are you?” Linkara asked. “And why are you in my house?”

“I am Sasha,” the woman responded, standing up. “And I’d like to have a talk with you. But first…”

She took out a Yu-Gi-Oh deck from one pocket of her pants. “Would you like to duel?”

Linkara immediately found himself flinching away, blood running cold. “I--I’ll have to decline. I’m not in the mood for games of any kind.”

Sasha winced at his expression, putting her deck away. “Sorry, I should have read the mood. For what it’s worth, I have no ill intentions toward you or any of your allies.”

“Then why are you here?” Linkara pressed.

“Because I wanted to thank you,” Sasha responded, smiling lightly. “Believe it or not, I owe you for the numerous times you’ve saved this world.”

Linkara shook his head, suspicion mixing with doubt. “Don’t. I’m not as big a hero as you think I am.”

“Perhaps not, but you’ve still done some very heroic things,” Sasha went on. “And with all those times you’ve saved this world, saved _them,_ you saved someone very important to me.”

“You do realize the same could be said for like...any of the times my friends and I saved the world from certain doom, right?” Linkara asked. “I don’t know why you feel the need to thank me.”

Sasha’s smile turned to a frown. “Because you’ve saved _him_ where I could not. When Missingno absorbed the world, I fought back as hard as I could, but it wasn’t enough. When the Plot Hole threatened everything...”

She looked away, and Linkara raised his eyebrows. “Excuse me?? How do you know it was a Missingno that was absorbing the world? Or the Plot Hole, that’s...”

“I’m well aware a normal person shouldn’t know about either of those things,” Sasha spoke up. “But you’ve already probably seen I’m not a normal person.”

“I mean, yes, given you managed to breach not just my wards, but the barriers around this place. What are you, and what do you want with me?” Linkara asked.

Sasha smiled again. “Well, I’m not quite your average Yu-Gi-Oh enthusiast. If I’m being honest, I’d like you to keep being champion. My beloved can’t fight, despite his best attempts to, and he deserves a peaceful world to live in.”

The smile turned bittersweet as she looked down. “I’ve lived a very long time. I’ve seen champions come and go, but this particular era, you as a champion and me meeting someone dear to me here...I’m a little attached to this time period. This world needs its heroes, so...don’t stop being champion, please.”

Linkara sighed, sitting roughly in his chair. “You have a lot of faith in me, Sasha. Can’t say that’s necessarily wise given what I’ve been through.”

“Perhaps. Even so...take care of yourself, alright? You have people cheering you on,” Sasha responded.

For a brief moment, her form flickered, and Linkara was certain then and there he saw a more monstrous form where Sasha was sitting. Before he could get a clear look, she was gone.

Linkara blinked for a few seconds, spinning his chair around to look at the invitation on his desk again. Maybe it’d be worth it after all to participate in the Contest of Champions...


End file.
